subject: Cucumber - Rediscovered [print this page] Then there's all the elements that doctors tell us we need daily to remain healthy. Potassium, zinc, magnesium and phosphorus, plus generous doses of iron, calcium and even folic acid. Add a bit of vitamin C for good measure and the rest is all water - more that 90%, in fact. And only 13 calories in an average sized fruit.
But all this means nothing more than the parochial sandwich unless you know what to do with this undiscovered creeping vine. It's actually a fruit in the true sense of things horticultural, but it is very often referred to as a vegetable. Let's see what it can do, then.
Somehow a cucumber prevents mirrors fogging up. If you smear a slice all over your bathroom mirror, it prevents condensation forming. It can also shine your shoes and act as an ink eraser. Nobody's quite sure how that works, but try using cucumber skin to wipe out mistakes made in ink.
And all this before we've eaten any. You will also have seen iconic pictures and photographs of slices of cucumber placed on the face - particularly female faces. This is more than just a cooling sensation for delicate skin.
There are chemicals in the juice that actually work on fatty tissue, tightening the ectodermic membrane and, thus, can remove small wrinkles in the skin.
There are two great opposite effects that cucumbers can generate. If mashed cucumber is placed in an aluminum vessel and left out in the vegetable garden, slugs will run a mile. There is a chemical reaction between the fruit and the metal that gives off a scent undetectable to humans, but is an abomination to slugs and other grubs. But boil some up in an open topped saucepan and the delicate aroma has been proved to relieve stress and induce relaxation to tense muscles.
Now we can start eating some. A proven cure for hangovers, strangely enough.
Just suck some after a boozy lunch session. Nobody in the office will know you've been drinking. It also provides a non-calorific snack. Eat some mid afternoon when you'd normally grab a bag of crisps. You'll find cucumber abates hunger better than apples or other fruit. And a big chunk is only 3 calories.
